Heartgard chewable question
karena |
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| Yeah, I don't think your dog is protected if you found it whole in her stool.
I'm pretty surprised that you happened to see that, given it's color and softness! I'd call the vet again and ask to speak directly to him or her about redosing your dog. You might want to mention that the instruction manual for Heartgard states that if a dog normally swallows treats whole that they be broken up nito small pieces, and if any piece is missed that the animal be redosed. HeartGard Manual wrote: The chewable should be administered in a manner that encourages the dog to chew, rather than to swallow without chewing. Chewables may be broken into pieces and fed to dogs that normally swallow treats whole.
Care should be taken that the dog consumes the complete dose, and treated animals should be observed for a few minutes after administration to ensure that part of the dose is not lost or rejected. If it is suspected that any of the dose has been lost, redosing is recommended. I wouldn't worry too much; the likelihood of getting worms is fairly low in the course of a couple of days and she will be protected anyway if you and your vet determine that she should be redosed within the next few days. |
| If the med came out whole, your dog did not get the dose. The ivermectin is a liquid injected into the preformed treat - so they need to eat the whole thing. That's why you can't get the bigger size and break it in half for 2 dogs! It is not uniformly distributed in the treat.
The dosing in the Heartgard is low - well into the safe zone for toxicity in most dogs. (Collies have a record of being sensitive). Even if your dog got some of the med, I would still redose if it was my dog. |
| Yeah, it just didn't make sense to me that she can be protected...my girl does normally chew the Heartgard except for this last dose. For some reason she gulped it this time. I'm one of those overly-observant moms who examine poops::LOL::so I was able to see that it was undigested and "returned" whole!
I called the vet's office again and left a message for our vet to call me back. I'm waiting his call now. Thank you for your replies and I will let you know what the vet says. |
| Our vet told me to redose her...he said normally if a dog regurgitates meds (in this case Heartgard) prior to 5hours this means that the dog did not benefit from the medicine. And the receptionist, knowing this bit of info, likely told me it was alright because she had never had a question like mine before...The vet said the ivermectin/pyrantel in Heartgard is a low dose (you're right Dawn) that my girl would not be considered a "poison" case should she accidentally consume, say, 4 or 5 chewables at once.
Anyway, knowing now that this girl may not always chew, we are now prescribed tablet form instead of chewable. Thank you again for your replies!! Hope my experience helps others... |
| I was interested in your post, since Tasker tends to swallow things whole I always cut his heartguard up into pieces and give it to him as a treat ( the silly boy doesn't know the difference!!). Good to know I'm doing the right thing!!!! |
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